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I don't remember exactly where I got the idea that one of three fates was sure to befall a mortal who dared trespass (especially at night), upon a fairy mound. It seems to me to be as old as memory, itself. Sacred space is rife with taboo, as much to keep the unworthy out as to sanctify the worthy petitioner in the region of power. Thus, the first two fates are terrible and the third is reserved only for the righteous devotee. Death, madness and the gift of poetry (or prophecy) seem a right combination to me, and when I wrote the special additional material for my live, award-winning world premiere benefit performance of Grumpuss, they were the "three fates" the Queen of the Sidh put to the bard who trod upon her Fairy Mound on All Hallow's Eve. Morgen stops at the top of the hill. He knows the clearing within the stone circle below is sacred ground. Laura told him so on the way out to the cottage in the pony cart. Aware of the "fairy tale" risk involved in trespassing, he does not feel compelled to break the taboo. It will take more than a bit of folklore and a cluster of rocks to stir Morgen to folly . . . but the necessary elements and music are certainly all present "In This Place." |
An interesting and somewhat unique aspect of Western mythology is that its immortals, from time to time, require the aid of humans to achieve their grand designs. In the Mabinogi, Arawn, king of the otherworld, recruits Pwyll, the mortal lord of Dyfed in south-west Wales, to slay his enemy and rewards him handsomely for his success. Changeling's Return requires a sacred marriage between Man and Nature, so again, a mortal hero is required. But the old gods are forgotten, their attribtutes unknown, or worse, imbued with meanings other than those the gods might intend. If Spring reveals her ageless mystery, will an uninitiated foreigner, unfamiliar with the old ways, respond appropriately? Travis Edward Pike, 22 August 2021, Otherworld Cottage |
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